Braylon Burnside's Complete Profile Translates
South Carolina is actively seeking program-defining playmakers. They attack the recruiting trail as such, and wide receivers coach Justin Stepp is one of the best marketers they have.
Wide receiver Braylon Burnside has been receptive to that pitch, listing South Carolina among his final schools. Burnside hails from Starkville, Mississippi, and has garnered the attention of several major programs.
Burnside brings a reliable body of work to the next level. He should become a strong player, winning with the same formula repeatedly.
Body Control
Windows get smaller at the next level. It doesn't matter how fast or talented you are at the line of scrimmage; eventually, defensive backs will adjust and compensate for their inherent disadvantage.
Therefore, receivers must find ways to separate toward the end of their routes. Burnside wins with excellent body control, always conscious of his surroundings and how to adapt to the ball's flight.
Maintaining flexibility while falling is hard, especially when near the sideline. Burnside makes these plays look routine, whether it be a downfield jump ball or a sideline toe-drag.
Ball Tracking
Carolina is changing who they are as a passing offense. They want to stretch the field vertically, something the program hasn't been known for under previous regimes.
To challenge defenses downfield, you must have receivers that can judge the ball out of the air. Burnside does an excellent job of this and has several advanced tools that most elite ball trackers don't have.
He knows how to adjust his perception based on how the ball is delivered. Quarterbacks throw different balls, varying in velocity and launch angle. Burnside usually knows how and where the ball will land, which is a huge advantage.
Open Field Prowess
Burnside isn't an overwhelming athlete. He has been timed running a 4.5-second forty-yard dash, adequate for a high-level receiver but not elite.
However, he combines this speed with explosion and physicality after the catch. Burnside uses every ounce of his 185 lbs. frame to challenge tacklers at the point of contact, knocking them onto their backsides.
He also knows how to play off contact. Defenders adjust after being hit in the chest a few times and begin to go low; Burnside counters by spinning off contact and continuing downfield.
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